Integration of homeostatic signaling and food reward processing in the human brain

Abstract

IntroductionThe consumption of food is necessary for our everyday survival and is promoted by an intricate network of complex homeostatic and hedonic interactions. Hunger is a motivational state considered as an endpoint of these elements; it ensures that we actively seek out food when necessary. However, hunger is not only the result of simple energy deficiency; it has emerged as a product of a complex biopsychological and environmental interaction. Given the rapid development of obesity worldwide, a better understanding of the interaction between the encoding of food in the brain reward network and homeostatic energy regulation is of paramount importance for the development of new treatment strategies. BACKGROUND.Food intake is guided by homeostatic needs and by the reward value of food, yet the exact relation between the two remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of different metabolic states and hormonal satiety signaling on responses in neural reward networks.

Biogastronomy: Factors that determine the biological response to meal ingestion

“…In humans, changes in brain activity can be detected by different methods, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography . The central nervous system plays a key role in homeostasis, control of food intake and perception of conscious sensations …”

“…Indeed, homeostatic and hedonic sensations are dissociable, so that postprandial satiety/fullness may have a satisfactory or an aversive dimension depending on several conditions, including the type of meal, the digestive response and other conditioning factors (see below). Some data indicate that homeostatic and hedonic sensations are mediated by different mechanisms . Indeed, recent studies have shown that homeostatic and hedonic sensations are selectively related to specific changes in circulating metabolites as well as in brain activity …”

“…Some data indicate that homeostatic and hedonic sensations are mediated by different mechanisms . Indeed, recent studies have shown that homeostatic and hedonic sensations are selectively related to specific changes in circulating metabolites as well as in brain activity …”

Integration of Neural Reward Processing and Appetite‐Related Signaling in Obese Females: Evidence From Resting‐State fMRI

“…Nodes were defined from Power's atlas with 264 brain regions . We used the reward‐related nodes reported by previous studies as seed nodes . The selected reward‐related nodes are shown in Table .…”

“…When we receive a food cue, multiple neural processes are triggered in the brain; these processes are involved in food preference, the timing of food intake, and eating patterns. Furthermore, hunger is a motivational state that can drive us to find food, but hunger is more than a mere drive to supplement the body's energy supply; hedonic feelings are generated by an intricate neural network when we consume food . The neural processing of food can be divided into perceive hedonic feeling and incentive motivation generated by energy needs of the body .…”